Hazelnut Toffee Crunch

So I made this on a whim, because I had leftover hazelnuts from attempting to make hazelnut coffee creamer for Zak.  I'm debating to post that recipe, because I wasn't too thrilled with the result, but Zak was impressed and liked it, so there you go.  Anyways, I wanted to find another use for the hazelnuts because I spent like, 1 1/2 hours toasting them and rubbing the stupid skins off of them.  This time I went with this recipe; but I did find a recipe for homemade Nutella, and that might become a reality soon.  But anyways, I made this toffee, and it was my first time making a candy that needed a candy thermometer, but it turns out that my meat thermometer was a decent substitute.  I took a bunch over to our friends' house, and they raved about it, so that made me feel better about a recipe I wasn't 100% on!

1 1/2 c. milk chocolate chips
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. butter
1 1/2 c. hazelnuts, chopped
2 Tbl. light corn syrup

1.  Toast hazelnuts in a single layer at 275 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes, until skin starts to crack and turn golden brown.  To remove skins, pour hot nuts in a damp towel, wrap up and let steam for about 5 minutes.  Rub skins off with towel until most of the skins have been removed.  This website & this one was helpful.
2.  Once hazelnuts have been skinned and chopped, line 9x9" or 8x8" pan with aluminum foil extending up the sides.
3.  Melt chocolate chips in the microwave until smooth.  Set aside in fridge until chocolate has cooled a little.
4.  In a small saucepan, combine butter, chopped nuts, sugar and corn syrup.  Bring to boil, stirring constantly until butter melts.  Heat the mixture to between 250 - 265 degrees F; it will start to bubble a lot.
5.  Pour candy mixture over cooled chocolate and spread evenly.  Return to fridge to cool.  When cooled completely, break into bite-sized pieces; I got about 64 pieces out of this recipe.  Store in an airtight container.

after two hours in the fridge

yum!

another shot

Nutritional Facts
servings per recipe: 64
amount per serving

Calories: 58.2
Total Fat: 4.3 g
Saturated Fat: 1.8 g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g
Cholesterol: 4.7 mg
Sodium: 14.3 mg
Potassium: 34.2 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 4.9 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.4 g
Sugar: 2.2 g
Protein: 0.7 g
Vitamin A: 1.1 %
Vitamin C: 0.3 %
Calcium: 1.1 %
Iron: 1 %

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

I got this recipe from allrecipes.com.  I don't know where the idea to make cinnamon rolls came from, but I decided it'd be nice to do when Kenny & Delaney were here.  This recipe was delicious and pretty simple to do.  Next time we have company stay with us, I'll probably make them again.  But we don't need a whole pan of these in the fridge, they will get eaten much too quickly!

rolls
1 c. milk
1/3 c. butter
1 (.25 oz.) package active dry yeast
1/2 c. sugar
4 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
3 eggs

filling
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 Tbl. cinnamon
1/2 c. raisins (optional, I didn't include them)

glaze
1 tsp. light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 c. sifted powdered sugar
2 Tbl. half & half

1.  Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles; remove from heat.  Add the butter and stir until melted; let cool until lukewarm.
2.  In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in the milk mixture.  Add sugar, 3 c. of flour, salt and egg.  Stir well to combine.  Add the remaining flour, 1/2 c. at a time, stirring well after each addition.
3.  When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and kneed until smooth and supple, about 8 mins.
4.  Lightly oil a larger bowl and place dough in it; coat with oil.  Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
5.  Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 10"x14" rectangle.  Lightly brush the far edge with water.
6.  In a small bowl, combine cinnamon and brown sugar and sprinkle over the rectangle evenly.  The sprinkle raisins, if using.  Roll up the dough into a log and seal the seam.
7.  Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces; place in a greased 9"x13" pan.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to rise overnight.
8.  The next morning, preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Let the rolls stand at room temperature for 30 mins. before baking.
9.  Once at room temperature, bake for 25 - 30 mins., or until golden.  Meanwhile, combine corn syrup with vanilla in a small bowl.  Whisk in the powdered sugar and enough cream to make a thick glaze.  Drizzle glaze over the rolls and serve warm.

before going in the fridge at night

big rolls the next morning

out of the oven, yum!

Tuxedo Chocolate Cake

This. Cake. Is. Fantastic.

However, it takes a fair amount of time to make, it is huge, and one piece is probably a fair amount of your caloric intake for the day. But it is worth it, because it it divine. Here we go.

Cake:

4 c. sugar

1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

4 c. flour

1 Tbl. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. buttermilk

1 Tbl. vanilla

1 c. unsalted butter

1 c. canola or vegetable oil

2 c. water

4 large eggs

Whipped Cream Filling & Frosting:

4 c. chilled whipping (heavy) cream

1 1/4 c. powdered sugar

Chocolate Glaze:

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces

1/2 c. whipping (heavy) cream

1/4 c. Lyle's Golden Syrup OR Dark Karo (corn) syrup [the Lyle's stuff is apparently British, so I did some research to find a reasonable substitute]

2 tsp. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Prepare three 9-inch round cake pans; lightly grease pans with shortening, line with parchment paper, and then lightly grease the top of the paper and dust with flour.

2. In a (very) large mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; whisk together to mix.

3. In a small bowl, combine buttermilk and vanilla.

4. In a medium saucepan, combine butter, oil and water. Heat over low heat until the butter is melted, stirring often.

5. Pour the butter mixture into the sugar/cocoa mixture. Using an electric mixer or a wire whisk (which works just fine), stir until combined and smooth.

6. Crack the eggs into a small mixing bowl and whisk thoroughly to break up the eggs, then add to batter, stirring until combined. Add the buttermilk mixture and stir until everything is thoroughly combined.

7. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake 40 - 45 minutes or until center tested with a toothpick comes out pretty and clean.

8. Place pans on a wire cooling rack for 15 minutes, then remove cakes from pans to cool completely. Make sure they are cooled completely before frosting, at least one hour.

9. In a large mixing bowl (it works a little better if you chill the bowl and mixing tool beforehand), beat the 4 c. whipping cream until soft mounds form. Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until thick and stiff.

10. Place one cake on the plate you are going to use, thickly spread some of the whipper cream over the top. Top with the remaining cake layers, coating the top of each with the whipped cream. Cover the sides of the cake as well, and make it as smooth as possible over the top and sides.

11. Refrigerate the cake at least one hour to stabilize the whipped cream before glazing.

12. Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl.

13. In a small saucepan over medium low heat, heat the 1/2 whipping cream until it is hot and just beginning to steam.

14. Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate, stirring until it's completed melted. Add the Golden Syrup (or dark Karo corn syrup) and vanilla, stirring until completely melted.

15. Pour the chocolate mixture into a pitcher, or liquid measuring cup with a pouring spout and let it cool for 8 - 10 minutes (if it sits longer than that, it will thicken up too much to pour over the cake, so set a timer).

16. Slowly pour the glaze over the cake. Cover the top entirely, then let some of the glaze drizzle down the sides, allowing some of the whipped cream to show through.

17. Refrigerate the cake until the glaze is set and the whipped cream frosting is firm at least one hour. To serve, slice the cake with a long serrated knife.

cooling

I used foil pans, since I didn't have enough pans, so it was kind of a challenge...I had to fill in the gaps with extra whipped cream

more or less frosted

with the glaze, ooh

look how lovely!